Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a “secondary” or “bonus” game that may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome in the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Bonus games may additionally award players with “progressive jackpot” awards that are funded, at least in part, by a percentage of coin-in from the gaming machine or a plurality of participating gaming machines. Because the bonus game concept offers tremendous advantages in player appeal and excitement relative to other known games, and because such games are attractive to both players and operators, there is a continuing need to develop gaming systems with new types of bonus games to satisfy the demands of players and operators.
Traditionally, gaming machines employing progressive jackpots utilize discreet progressive jackpot systems for one or more groups of gaming machines. For example, a first group of gaming machines may be configured to contribute to a first progressive jackpot, while a second group of gaming machines may be configured to contribute to a second progressive jackpot. The two systems traditionally operate independently such that if the first progressive jackpot is triggered, one of the gaming machines in the first group receives the jackpot award and the first progressive jackpot is reset. The gaming machines in the second group, and the second progressive jackpot are unaffected. One problem that arises with such a configuration is that the independently operated progressive jackpot systems are not coordinated and therefore require longer periods of time to amass large jackpots to be awarded. This dilemma in turn causes lower frequency of jackpot triggering events, thereby diminishing from the excitement and enjoyment of the gaming system. Another problem arises is that even traditional progressive systems which offer multi-level progressive awards fail to adequately entertain and cause excitement amongst players, often only awarding the lowest level progressive award. The present invention is directed to solving these and other problems.